Hobby horse type toy



April 1961 H. M. GABRIELSON 2,978,258

HOBBY HORSE TYPE TOY Filed March 7, 1960 1 1/7 17NVENT0R.

HAROLD M. GA BRIE]. SON

ATTORNEY United States, P t O HOBBY HORSE TYPE TOY Harold M. Gabrielson, Rte. 3, Box 21A106, -Merced, Calif.

Filed Mar. 7, 1960, Ser. No. 13,041 2 Claims. (Cl. 280-218) pointed outhereinafter or will .be indicated in the appended, claims or will'be obvious to one skilled in the art upon an understanding of-the present disclosure. For the purpose of this application, I have elected to show herein certain forms and details of a toy which is representative of my invention; it is to be understood, how-' ever, that the embodiment of my invention herein shown and described is for purposes of illustration only, and that therefore it is not to be regarded as exhaustive of the variations of the invention in the art.

In the accompanying drawing: I

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a toy embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a rear view of the toy;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the toy; and

Fig. 4 is a front view of the toy.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral 1 designates a forwardly inclined support having an upwardly extending head element 2 secured to and supported on its forward end, such element preferably having the general contour of a horses head and neck. Secured to and extending through the head elementis a substantially horizontal bar 3 which provides suitable handle-bars. The rear portion of the inclined support forms a seat, and an upwardly extending member 4 forms a back-rest for such seat. I

Pivotally connected as at 5 to the forward end of the inclined support 1 is a depending link 6 which is also pivotally connected as at 7 to the upper end of a forwardly inclined bar 8, the latter being integrally joined at its lower rear end to identical diverging rear legs 9, 9

which extend downwardly, outwardly, and rearwardly and support depending casters 10, 10 at their outer rear ends. Secured to the rear legs 9, 9 at points adjacent but below the juncture thereof with the bar 8 is a transverse rigid member 11 which is so arranged with respect to the rear legs as to provide a suitable opening through which a rearwardly inclined bar or rod 12 loosely extends. The upper rear end of the bar 12 is pivotally connected as at 13 to a depending bracket 14 secured to the rear portion of thesupport 1. The bar 12 is pivotally connected as at 12a to the rear legs 9, 9. The lower forward end of the bar 12 is centrally connected to an inverted U-shaped member 15 having depending end portions or front legs 16, 16 from the lower ends of which casters 17, 17 are supported and suspended.

Secured to and extending transversely between the lower I 2,978,258 Patented Apr. 4, 1961 portions of the diverging rear legs 9, 9 is a rigid bar 18, and secured centrally thereto is a rigid rearwardly extending L-shaped spring support 19, the rear end of which is bent upwardly. A threaded adjustable rod 20 extends slidably through the upturned portion of the rigid L-shaped member, and one or more nuts 21 on the rod abut such upturned portion of the spring support 19 and serve to adjust the tension of a tension spring 22, the forward end of which is connected to the bar 12 and the rear end of which is connected to the forward end of the rod 20.

Secured to the diverging rear legs 9, 9 as by welding, is a transverse horizontal bar 23 which is disposed adjacent but below the rigid member 11, the lateral end portions of such bar 23 forming foot-rests for a child seated on the support 1. Secured to and extending rearwardly from the bar 23 is a centrally disposed support 24 for a compression spring 25, such compression spring being engaged at its upper end by the upper portion of the inclined bar 12. 'It will be noted that the seat portion of the support 1 is positioned at a level above the rear portions of the rear legs 9, 9, while the forward end of such support is arranged above the front legs 16, 16.

Secured to and extending rearwardly from the inverted U-shaped member 15 isa rigid forwardly inclined bar 26 which pivotally supports a rearwardly and downwardly extending stop member 27, the latter preferably including a rubber cap mounted on its free end for engagement with a floor surface to prevent the rearward shifting of the vehicle, as will be presently described. A tension spring 28 connected to and extending between the lower end of the stop member 27 and the inclined bar 26 exerts a downward pressure on the stop member, thereby normally maintaining its lower end in contact with the floor surface. A rigid bar or restraining member 29 extending rearwardly and downwardly from the inclined bar 26 engages at its rear end with the stop member 27 and prevents the spring 28 from turning such stop member in a clockwise direction beyond its normal position wherein the lower end thereof engages with the floor surface. The tension spring 28 is sufliciently yielding to allow the lower end of the stop member 27 to slide forwardly over the floor surface as the vehicle is intermittently propelled forwardly, as will be later described.

In operation, a child is normally seated on the rear end portion of the support 1 with his feet resting on the transverse foot-supporting bar 23 and his hands grasping the horizontal bar 3. The movement of the vehicle or toy is effected when the child, standing on the bar 23, raises his body above the seat and then abruptly allows his body to come down with an impact on the seat. The downward impact of the childs body on the seat depresses the rear portion of the support 1, thereby causing the rod 12 to pivot in a clockwise direction about the pivot 12a, the rear end of such bar moving downwardly and rearwardly and the front end thereof moving forwardly. The front legs 16, 16 and the attached front casters 17, 17 together with thestop member 27 are also simultaneously carried forwardly with the forward end portion of the rod 12. During this movement, the rear legs 9, 9 and the rear casters 10, 10 remain substantially stationary while the compression spring 25 and the tension spring 22 are further tensioned with the forward movement of the front legs 16, 16. With the succeeding upward movement of the childs body above the seat and the weight thereof being shifted to the transverse bar 23, the compression spring 25 together with the tension spring 22 pivotally move the bar '12 in a counterclockwise direction, and such tension spring thereupon pulls the rear legs 9, 9 and the rear casters 10, 10 forwardly while the stop member 27 engaging with the floor surface prevents the front legs 16, 16 and the front casters 17, 17 from being moved rearwardly by such tension spring. Thus by the upward and downward movement of the childs body in the manner described the vehicle isintermittently propelled forwardly while at.

the same time-a-movement. somewhat simulatinga galloping horse is provided to. afford .amusementand. interest.

What I claim is:

1. In a toy,. a supporting member. having arear. portion forming a seat and a forward portion for supporting an upstanding member carrying handle-bars, a pair of upwardly inclined converging rear legs having Wheels thereon, a forwardly extending inclined structurally rigid member connected at its rear. end to the upwardly. disposed ends of the rear legs, a link pivotally connected to the forward end portionof the. supporting: member and also pivotally connected to the forward end of the rigid member, a rearwardly inclined. rod pivotally connected intermediate its ends. to. the converging rear legs, the upper rear end. of the rod being. pivotally connected to the rear portion of the supporting member, one or more front legs carried. by the forward end of the rod and having Wheels thereon, a pivoted. stop member carried by the forward end of the rod and arranged in engagement with a floor surface supporting the toy, yieldable spring means urging the stop member. into engagement with the floor surface, a structurally rigid spring supporting means carried by the rear legs, a tension spring. connected to and. interposed between the rod and tion forming a seat and a forward portion for supporting an upstanding member carrying handle-bars, a pair of upwardly inclined converging rear legs each having a wheel supported thereon, a forwardly inclined structurally rigid member connected at its rear end to the upper ends of the rear legs, a link pivotally connected to the upper ends of the rigid member and also pivotally connected to the forward end portion of the supporting member, a rearwardly inclined rod pivotally connected intermediate its ends to the converging rear legs, the upper rear end of the rod being pivotally connected to the rear portion of the supporting member, a pair of laterally spaced front legs connected to-a'nd'carr-ied by the lower forward end of the rod and having wheels supported thereon, a pivoted stop member carried by the rod and arranged in engagement with a floor surface supporting the toy, yieldable spring means urging the stop member into engagement with the floor surface, a structurally rigid spring supporting. means carried by the rear legs, a tension spring connected to and interposed between the rod and the spring supporting means, a transverse foot-supporting bar secured tothe rear legs and arranged in spaced relation beneath the supporting member, and a compression spring. supported at its lower end by the transverse bar the spring supporting means, and afoot-rest securedto.

the rear legs.

2. In a toy, a supporting-member having, a. rear. por-.

and engagedat. its upper end with the rod.

. Bloo'mquist "Feb. 19, 1935 Laborda Oct. 15, 1935 

